NEW HAVEN, Conn. — Opting for a treat made with artificial sweeteners may seem like a healthier choice, but it won't satisfy a body's craving for sugar, according to a new study.

The brain can tell the difference between real sugar and the artificial variety, and no matter how sweet the substitute is bodies want the real stuff, according to researchers at the Yale University School of Medicine.

One of the reasons people crave sugar is because of the energy it offers, but sweeteners only provide 'energyless' sweet flavors, researchers said in a press release. This means real sugar provides far greater rewards to an always-planning brain.

Because the brain isn't satisfied by anything but real sugar, it leaves those who eat artificial sweets wanting more when they finish. This can ultimately lead to overeating later and weight gain, which is typically the opposite result of what sugar-free food seekers desire.

Researchers said they believe this is the reason why people have continued to gain weight even after artificial sweeteners entered the market.

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“We believe that the discovery is important because it shows how physiological states may impact on our choices between sugars and sweeteners," said Professor Ivan de Araujo, who led the study. “Specifically, it implies that humans frequently ingesting low-calorie sweet products in a state of hunger or exhaustion may be more likely to ‘relapse’ and choose high calorie alternatives in the future."

Luckily, there may be hope for those who want to keep eating sweets while watching their sugar intake. Researchers said by combining artificial sweeteners with a small amount of sugar it may trigger the right areas in the brain to make it happy.

“The results suggest that a ‘happy medium’ could be a solution; combining sweeteners with minimal amounts of sugar so that energy metabolism doesn't drop, while caloric intake is kept to a minimum," Araujo said.

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Researchers said they performed behavioral tests involving real sugar and artificial sweeteners on mice while measuring chemical responses in their brain circuits associated with reward. The study was published in The Journal of Physiology.

Researchers said they believe the human brain works the same way.

“According to the data, when we apply substances that interfere with a critical step of the ‘sugar-to-energy pathway’, the interest of the animals in consuming artificial sweetener decreases significantly, along with important reductions in brain dopamine levels," Araujo said.

He said this was verified by the fact that hungry mice with low sugar levels were more likely to completely switch their preference to sugar over artificial sugars when given the choice, even if the sweetener was much sweeter than the sugar solution.

For those aiming for a healthy diet, including a little bit of sugar might not be such a bad thing.

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